Sears price match ever used successfully for a plasma/HDTV?

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Has anyone successfully used the Sears Price Match policy for a plasma TV
(or other high-priced item?)

I want to purchase a Panasonic 42PD25U plasma tv. Sears sells it for $2999.

Online, i can find it for about 2200. Sears pricematch offers to match any
price and give an additional 10% off.

I want to pricematch the tv, get the additional 10% off, use a Sears credit
card to get an additional 10% off.
Of course, I expect to be given some grief in trying to price match.

Has anyone used this successfully?
 
G

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you sure it works when the lower price is online?


"Verizon User" <anonymous@anon.com> wrote in message
news:Wpefd.3777$uQ4.925@trndny08...
> Has anyone successfully used the Sears Price Match policy for a plasma TV
> (or other high-priced item?)
>
> I want to purchase a Panasonic 42PD25U plasma tv. Sears sells it for
$2999.
>
> Online, i can find it for about 2200. Sears pricematch offers to match
any
> price and give an additional 10% off.
>
> I want to pricematch the tv, get the additional 10% off, use a Sears
credit
> card to get an additional 10% off.
> Of course, I expect to be given some grief in trying to price match.
>
> Has anyone used this successfully?
>
>
>
 
G

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I've NEVER seen any price match policy match on-line prices.

"Verizon User" <anonymous@anon.com> wrote in message
news:Wpefd.3777$uQ4.925@trndny08...
> Has anyone successfully used the Sears Price Match policy for a plasma TV
> (or other high-priced item?)
>
> I want to purchase a Panasonic 42PD25U plasma tv. Sears sells it for
> $2999.
>
> Online, i can find it for about 2200. Sears pricematch offers to match
> any
> price and give an additional 10% off.
>
> I want to pricematch the tv, get the additional 10% off, use a Sears
> credit
> card to get an additional 10% off.
> Of course, I expect to be given some grief in trying to price match.
>
> Has anyone used this successfully?
>
>
>
 
G

Guest

Guest
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No brick & mortar retailer will ever "price match" based on Internet
prices.

Specifically with Sears, as it is with most other retailers, the price
match is only good on the *Exact* *Same* *Model* *Number* using the
manufacturer's model nomenclature.

You are apt to find it difficult to exactly match model numbers, because
with major ticket items many stores carry only "similar" models and not
"identical" models.

This is not by accident...

Generally speaking you can usually find "a better deal" online, but be
sure to factor in the tax and the shipping offset. What the tax man
giveth, the shipper often taketh away.

I'm ordinarily hesitant to purchase large, or heavy, and/or fragile mdse
from mailorder outlets because of the potential for the product to sustain
shipping damage and because of the ordeal of having to re-pack such items
and return them if/when there is a problem. When I make an exception it is
only because I have been unable to find the exact specific item locally
and am adamant about wanting the *specific* item and no other. In fact I
am about to make just such an exception for a specific model laser
printer. One would think in the 4th largest city in the USA (Houston) with
abundant major name stores like CompUSA, MicroCenter, FRYs Electronics,
Best Buy, Circuit City, Office Depot, OfficeMAX, etcetera that somewhere
in town I could find a Brother HL-5150D (no, not the 5140 or the 5150DLT,
I want only the "5150D") (21-ppm duplex)

In article <Wpefd.3777$uQ4.925@trndny08> "Verizon User"
<anonymous@anon.com> writes:

>Has anyone successfully used the Sears Price Match policy for a plasma TV
>(or other high-priced item?)
>
>I want to purchase a Panasonic 42PD25U plasma tv. Sears sells it for $2999.
>
>Online, i can find it for about 2200. Sears pricematch offers to match any
>price and give an additional 10% off.
>
>I want to pricematch the tv, get the additional 10% off, use a Sears credit
>card to get an additional 10% off.
>Of course, I expect to be given some grief in trying to price match.
>
>Has anyone used this successfully?
>
>
 
G

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Guest
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In article <Wpefd.3777$uQ4.925@trndny08>, Verizon User
<anonymous@anon.com> wrote:

> Has anyone successfully used the Sears Price Match policy for a plasma TV
> (or other high-priced item?)
>
> I want to purchase a Panasonic 42PD25U plasma tv. Sears sells it for $2999.
>
> Online, i can find it for about 2200. Sears pricematch offers to match any
> price and give an additional 10% off.
>
> I want to pricematch the tv, get the additional 10% off, use a Sears credit
> card to get an additional 10% off.
> Of course, I expect to be given some grief in trying to price match.
>
> Has anyone used this successfully?
>
>
>
I recently purchased a Sony Wega KV-30HS420 from Sears. At the time
Sears was selling it for $999.95. Circuit City was selling it for
$949.00 and they price matched this price. They checked it by going
online at Circuti City right from the Sears store.

Two weeks later Circuit City again lowered their price to $899.00. I
went to Sears and they price matched again. Gave me another $50.00 off
plus 10% of the $50.00 plus sales tax.

Sears Price Match is good for 30 days. They give the details on their
website. Look under Customer Service site menu etc.

I also did the extra 10% off and 12 months no interest with Sears card.

Bottom line Sears treated me really well on this transaction. After
years of frustration with stores like Best Buy etc. this was a good
experience.

Good luck
 
G

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On Mon, 25 Oct 2004 18:34:24 -0500, Mr Fixit <MrFixit@msn.com> wrote:
: No brick & mortar retailer will ever "price match" based on Internet
: prices.
:

Not always true.

About a year ago, I purchased a Sony KF-50WE610 LCD projection TV. I found the lowest price I
could on the Web, including shipping. I took a printout first to Circuit City (since we had
spent the most time looking at TV's there), and said, "If you can match this bottom line
price, then I will buy right now." They would not do the match. I then went to Sears and
did the same thing. Their price (TV, delivery, and sales tax) was within a couple of bucks of
the on-line price. They also had a special that got me an $80 rebate on a DVD player, which I
also needed. And with each purchase (TV and DVD player) I also got a $5 coupon good for
anything else in the store.

Whether this was standard Sears policy, or if I had a slick salesman who would do anything to
get his commission, I can't say. But Sears did match the on-line price.
 

curmudgeon

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Change your name to Mr. Wrong.


"Mr Fixit" <MrFixit@msn.com> wrote in message
news:l62rn0922a33aunno0eit1lka72m2c8fke@4ax.com...
> No brick & mortar retailer will ever "price match" based on Internet
> prices.
>
> Specifically with Sears, as it is with most other retailers, the price
> match is only good on the *Exact* *Same* *Model* *Number* using the
> manufacturer's model nomenclature.
>
> You are apt to find it difficult to exactly match model numbers, because
> with major ticket items many stores carry only "similar" models and not
> "identical" models.
>
> This is not by accident...
>
> Generally speaking you can usually find "a better deal" online, but be
> sure to factor in the tax and the shipping offset. What the tax man
> giveth, the shipper often taketh away.
>
> I'm ordinarily hesitant to purchase large, or heavy, and/or fragile mdse
> from mailorder outlets because of the potential for the product to sustain
> shipping damage and because of the ordeal of having to re-pack such items
> and return them if/when there is a problem. When I make an exception it is
> only because I have been unable to find the exact specific item locally
> and am adamant about wanting the *specific* item and no other. In fact I
> am about to make just such an exception for a specific model laser
> printer. One would think in the 4th largest city in the USA (Houston) with
> abundant major name stores like CompUSA, MicroCenter, FRYs Electronics,
> Best Buy, Circuit City, Office Depot, OfficeMAX, etcetera that somewhere
> in town I could find a Brother HL-5150D (no, not the 5140 or the 5150DLT,
> I want only the "5150D") (21-ppm duplex)
>
> In article <Wpefd.3777$uQ4.925@trndny08> "Verizon User"
> <anonymous@anon.com> writes:
>
>>Has anyone successfully used the Sears Price Match policy for a plasma TV
>>(or other high-priced item?)
>>
>>I want to purchase a Panasonic 42PD25U plasma tv. Sears sells it for
>>$2999.
>>
>>Online, i can find it for about 2200. Sears pricematch offers to match
>>any
>>price and give an additional 10% off.
>>
>>I want to pricematch the tv, get the additional 10% off, use a Sears
>>credit
>>card to get an additional 10% off.
>>Of course, I expect to be given some grief in trying to price match.
>>
>>Has anyone used this successfully?
>>
>>
>
 
G

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Archived from groups: alt.tv.tech.hdtv (More info?)

more the latter...certainly you have always have a chance on stuff like tvs
to go to the store and give them the chance to match a price you could get
elsewhere...as far as demanding that they must do it because of their policy
is another story...i actually got my hdtv from hh gregg showing them the
circuit city website in their store


"George Schroeder" <gschroed@muir.eng.killSpam.uop.edu> wrote in message
news:slrncnr5kj.d4n.gschroed@gschroeder.goldrush.com...
> On Mon, 25 Oct 2004 18:34:24 -0500, Mr Fixit <MrFixit@msn.com> wrote:
> : No brick & mortar retailer will ever "price match" based on Internet
> : prices.
> :
>
> Not always true.
>
> About a year ago, I purchased a Sony KF-50WE610 LCD projection TV. I
found the lowest price I
> could on the Web, including shipping. I took a printout first to Circuit
City (since we had
> spent the most time looking at TV's there), and said, "If you can match
this bottom line
> price, then I will buy right now." They would not do the match. I then
went to Sears and
> did the same thing. Their price (TV, delivery, and sales tax) was within
a couple of bucks of
> the on-line price. They also had a special that got me an $80 rebate on a
DVD player, which I
> also needed. And with each purchase (TV and DVD player) I also got a $5
coupon good for
> anything else in the store.
>
> Whether this was standard Sears policy, or if I had a slick salesman who
would do anything to
> get his commission, I can't say. But Sears did match the on-line price.
 
G

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Guest
Archived from groups: alt.tv.tech.hdtv (More info?)

in what category is houston the 4th largest city in the us? largest hats?
biggest rednecks?


"Mr Fixit" <MrFixit@msn.com> wrote in message
news:l62rn0922a33aunno0eit1lka72m2c8fke@4ax.com...
> No brick & mortar retailer will ever "price match" based on Internet
> prices.
>
> Specifically with Sears, as it is with most other retailers, the price
> match is only good on the *Exact* *Same* *Model* *Number* using the
> manufacturer's model nomenclature.
>
> You are apt to find it difficult to exactly match model numbers, because
> with major ticket items many stores carry only "similar" models and not
> "identical" models.
>
> This is not by accident...
>
> Generally speaking you can usually find "a better deal" online, but be
> sure to factor in the tax and the shipping offset. What the tax man
> giveth, the shipper often taketh away.
>
> I'm ordinarily hesitant to purchase large, or heavy, and/or fragile mdse
> from mailorder outlets because of the potential for the product to sustain
> shipping damage and because of the ordeal of having to re-pack such items
> and return them if/when there is a problem. When I make an exception it is
> only because I have been unable to find the exact specific item locally
> and am adamant about wanting the *specific* item and no other. In fact I
> am about to make just such an exception for a specific model laser
> printer. One would think in the 4th largest city in the USA (Houston) with
> abundant major name stores like CompUSA, MicroCenter, FRYs Electronics,
> Best Buy, Circuit City, Office Depot, OfficeMAX, etcetera that somewhere
> in town I could find a Brother HL-5150D (no, not the 5140 or the 5150DLT,
> I want only the "5150D") (21-ppm duplex)
>
> In article <Wpefd.3777$uQ4.925@trndny08> "Verizon User"
> <anonymous@anon.com> writes:
>
> >Has anyone successfully used the Sears Price Match policy for a plasma TV
> >(or other high-priced item?)
> >
> >I want to purchase a Panasonic 42PD25U plasma tv. Sears sells it for
$2999.
> >
> >Online, i can find it for about 2200. Sears pricematch offers to match
any
> >price and give an additional 10% off.
> >
> >I want to pricematch the tv, get the additional 10% off, use a Sears
credit
> >card to get an additional 10% off.
> >Of course, I expect to be given some grief in trying to price match.
> >
> >Has anyone used this successfully?
> >
> >
>
 

curmudgeon

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Then you ain't been to Sears. They WILL match on-line pricing, but you also
have to show them the shipping cost which they will add to the item price.
The total of those two things they WILL match.


"Eddie G" <mickeddie at comcast.net> wrote in message
news:EfGdnWu6cIPmEeDcRVn-qQ@comcast.com...
> I've NEVER seen any price match policy match on-line prices.
>
> "Verizon User" <anonymous@anon.com> wrote in message
> news:Wpefd.3777$uQ4.925@trndny08...
>> Has anyone successfully used the Sears Price Match policy for a plasma TV
>> (or other high-priced item?)
>>
>> I want to purchase a Panasonic 42PD25U plasma tv. Sears sells it for
>> $2999.
>>
>> Online, i can find it for about 2200. Sears pricematch offers to match
>> any
>> price and give an additional 10% off.
>>
>> I want to pricematch the tv, get the additional 10% off, use a Sears
>> credit
>> card to get an additional 10% off.
>> Of course, I expect to be given some grief in trying to price match.
>>
>> Has anyone used this successfully?
>>
>>
>>
>
>
 
G

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"Verizon User" <anonymous@anon.com> wrote in message
news:Wpefd.3777$uQ4.925@trndny08...
> Has anyone successfully used the Sears Price Match policy for a plasma TV
> (or other high-priced item?)

As I have posted here before, I bought a Sony KDF-60XS955 HDTV from Sears a
couple of weeks ago (it's being delivered tomorrow morning) at several
hundred dollars off using this method.

MSRP around $4400. Sears on the web $4099. I had been quoted (but not even
in writing!) $3699 by a local applicance store, which I reported to Sears.
They matched it, plus 10% of the difference = $3652. Then, because it did
not come in last Thursday as it was scheduled to, they reduced the price
another 10% of the TV price. Final price = $3250. Wholesale on this set, I
have been told, is about $3150.

So, yeah, negotiating with price match at Sears is definitely worth doing.
In fact, my experience has been that buying expensive TV's is now like
buying cars -- don't even think about paying sticker price!

mack
austin
 

Julie

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Mack McKinnon wrote:
>
> "Verizon User" <anonymous@anon.com> wrote in message
> news:Wpefd.3777$uQ4.925@trndny08...
> > Has anyone successfully used the Sears Price Match policy for a plasma TV
> > (or other high-priced item?)
>
> As I have posted here before, I bought a Sony KDF-60XS955 HDTV from Sears a
> couple of weeks ago (it's being delivered tomorrow morning) at several
> hundred dollars off using this method.
>
> MSRP around $4400. Sears on the web $4099. I had been quoted (but not even
> in writing!) $3699 by a local applicance store, which I reported to Sears.
> They matched it, plus 10% of the difference = $3652. Then, because it did
> not come in last Thursday as it was scheduled to, they reduced the price
> another 10% of the TV price. Final price = $3250. Wholesale on this set, I
> have been told, is about $3150.
>
> So, yeah, negotiating with price match at Sears is definitely worth doing.
> In fact, my experience has been that buying expensive TV's is now like
> buying cars -- don't even think about paying sticker price!
>
> mack
> austin

Sears actually buys most of their big-ticket items at below-wholesale prices.
The catch is that any manufacturers warranty is actually handled by Sears.
 
G

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On Mon, 25 Oct 2004 21:41:10 GMT, "Verizon User" <anonymous@anon.com>
wrote:

(Warning, LONG - from a current Sears TV & Audio salesman):

>Has anyone successfully used the Sears Price Match policy for a plasma TV
>(or other high-priced item?)

In addition to what the other posters have said in response, I can
give you a few tips & tricks to get your best price on high end
electronics from Sears.

Technically, we do only pricematch our local competitors and the major
big-box retailers but there *can be* a bit of leeway here too... see
below. First off, we salespeople are more than happy to pricematch if
it's legit. The sooner we ring you up and get back out on the floor,
the better for us, so by all means, bring us a pricematch opportunity!
Believe me, if you come up to me with an ad for a thousand dollar
lower price on a Hitachi plasma, I cannot wait to make you and I both
smile.

I have no intention of trying to get you to pay more for that
television. I will try to sell you our protection plan and I will try
to sell you some good cables and I'll try to get you to spread the
word about how easy this transaction was but I'll DEFINITELY not try
to get you out of our price match opportunity.

Now some inside tips.....

First off, outside of price matching I've got 10% to work with (on
sales over a grand). Not a dime more and that INCLUDES on-sale
prices. That's ME. Other salespeople on our staff do not. Nobody
has more than 10% so don't waste your time. So you understand what
I'm saying, if an item's already 5% off (on sale), the most I can do
is another 5% off, PERIOD. I cannot compound anything either. In
other words, if you have a $50 off coupon, I cannot get away with 10%
off PLUS that $50 coupon.... I'd get fired.

Remember, this is a totally different situation than a legitimate
price match. Price matching can go on all day long as long as we can
show a copy of an ad from any local retailer or any national big box.
Even if it's half price from what we're selling it for. The policy
is, their price PLUS 10% of the difference, as long as we can show our
boss in writing.

One time recently, Circuit City had the 46" Samsung DLP on their web
site for a thousand dollars less than our retail price and I price
matched it, printed out the page. The boss had checked on my price
match since it was so huge and it turns out it was a mistake that CC
had corrected by the time my boss looked at their web site. I got
called into his office and he was PISSED off, about to fire me. I
showed him the printed page and we both realized it was just a mistake
that had quickly been corrected on CC's web site and that was the end
of the 3rd degree and grilling. The bottom line is, the customer got
a STEAL.

So anyway, how do you know if you are talking to somebody who has the
ability to "cut a bit of a deal" (within that 10%)? First off, you
need to find somebody who's being paid on commission. Not all of us
are paid commission, it depends upon the Sears store. How do you know
you are at a store that pays commission? Look at the size of the
store. Only the A & B stores pay commission. A & B stores are the
huge ones found generally in the larger metro areas. If there is a
huge display of TV's, you're in an A or B store.

Now how do you find a salesman who can wheel and deal? This is where
it gets tricky. In my particular store, if you are a marginal
salesman or if you cut too many "unauthorized" deals, you can't be
cutting deals. People who can't sell and people who can't sell
without cutting deals never last more than about 8 months, so if it
were me, I'd be asking the salesperson how long they've worked there.
If the answer is a year or more, the chances are good you are talking
to somebody who is trusted not to give away the proverbial "farm" and
who is assumed by management to be doing business in Sears' overall
best interest.

For example, let me give you some personal examples based upon my own
in-store experiences. We've got about 10 salespeople in my
department. Of those 10, about 5 of them are new and about 5 of us
have been there over a year. Of the 5 of us that have been there over
a year, nobody says anything if we cut an occasional 5 or 10% deal or
do zero percent financing when it's not being advertized. The reason
why is because we rarely do it - maybe on 1 out of 10 sales and
management has learned to trust our judgement.

Of the other 5, they can't do it, no matter how much you want them to.
Some have tried it and were written up for it and told they cannot cut
deals to get a sale. This is how Sears starts us out, probably to
hammer home the notion that we are NOT to give their money away under
any circumstances, when the fact is, we are not TRUSTED to do this
until we've proven ourselves to be able to do it only when it is
absolutely a last resort (this is an "unwritten rule").

So, if it were *me*, and I were shopping for a TV, I'd be shopping for
a salesman first. I'd find an A or B store and I'd be asking the
salesman how long they've worked there. If less than a year, I'd
leave for a few minutes and come back until I got the answer I wanted
- over a year. Then I'd just come right out and say, "look, I already
know the deal, I know somebody who works for Sears. You give me 10%
off on this set, we can just walk right up to the cash register right
now".

Expect to be told it is not possible but stand your ground. The
reason we say this is because the more of these we do, the more we get
on the proverbial "radar screen". Even the best of us will get fired
if we cut a 10% deal on even a quarter of our sales. If the salesman
stands his or her ground on your 10% deal, it's because he or she has
had a 'talking to" recently, due to an apparent inability to close
most deals at full retail. In this instance, you have 2 options if
you want to buy from Sears. Option 1, find another salesman on
another day or in another A or B store. Option 2, settle for 5%, or
something that won't put the guy or gal on the radar screen.

I hope this helps :)
 
G

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On Mon, 25 Oct 2004 22:23:55 -0700, Julie <julie@nospam.com> wrote:

>> So, yeah, negotiating with price match at Sears is definitely worth doing.
>> In fact, my experience has been that buying expensive TV's is now like
>> buying cars -- don't even think about paying sticker price!
>>
>> mack
>
>Sears actually buys most of their big-ticket items at below-wholesale prices.
>The catch is that any manufacturers warranty is actually handled by Sears.

True, Julie... however; I'd not call it a "catch" because if you buy a
Samsung DLP, a Sony LCD, a Hitachi RP, or any other television from
Sears, you *can* opt to take up any warranty issues with the actual
manufacturer of the set... OR, you can just call Sears and their techs
will perform the warranty work without having to deal with Samsung,
Sony, Hitachi, etc., directly. I recommend the latter of the two
choices :)
 
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In alt.tv.tech.hdtv, Mr Fixit <MrFixit@msn.com> wrote:

> One would think in the 4th largest city in the USA (Houston) with

Since when are you guys bigger than Philly?

--
....I'm an air-conditioned gypsy...

- The Who
 
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"HDTV-slingr" <NOSPAMMERS@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:k9trn0tq4k3u168c3jns8fr63iq9bvvjfn@4ax.com...
> On Mon, 25 Oct 2004 22:23:55 -0700, Julie <julie@nospam.com> wrote:
>
> >> So, yeah, negotiating with price match at Sears is definitely worth
doing.
> >> In fact, my experience has been that buying expensive TV's is now like
> >> buying cars -- don't even think about paying sticker price!
> >>
> >> mack
> >
> >Sears actually buys most of their big-ticket items at below-wholesale
prices.
> >The catch is that any manufacturers warranty is actually handled by
Sears.
>
> True, Julie... however; I'd not call it a "catch" because if you buy a
> Samsung DLP, a Sony LCD, a Hitachi RP, or any other television from
> Sears, you *can* opt to take up any warranty issues with the actual
> manufacturer of the set... OR, you can just call Sears and their techs
> will perform the warranty work without having to deal with Samsung,
> Sony, Hitachi, etc., directly. I recommend the latter of the two
> choices :)

Not true in all cases. Some products that Sears bought from major
manufacturers are not supported by those manufacturers at all, in any way.
You can not even get cross reference information from the manufacturer for
those models, even though there are models that are identical. Many Zenith
sourced TV/VCR units come to mind. Zenith will send you to Sears and sears
will have their own "support". Circuit City did this on a few products as
well.

I would not buy any unit from Sears that is not in the normal distribution
line for a given manufacturer. If it is then your statement is almost
certainly true. Bottom line...if you can't compare apples to apples, don't
assume you are getting apples.

Leonard

Leonard
 
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Good advice and insight for shopping at Sears.

Leonard

"HDTV-slingr" <NOSPAMMERS@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:8plrn0hkjgjdls22c7a8ncap0cbmuptj7f@4ax.com...
> On Mon, 25 Oct 2004 21:41:10 GMT, "Verizon User" <anonymous@anon.com>
> wrote:
>
> (Warning, LONG - from a current Sears TV & Audio salesman):
>
> >Has anyone successfully used the Sears Price Match policy for a plasma TV
> >(or other high-priced item?)
>
> In addition to what the other posters have said in response, I can
> give you a few tips & tricks to get your best price on high end
> electronics from Sears.
>
> Technically, we do only pricematch our local competitors and the major
> big-box retailers but there *can be* a bit of leeway here too... see
> below. First off, we salespeople are more than happy to pricematch if
> it's legit. The sooner we ring you up and get back out on the floor,
> the better for us, so by all means, bring us a pricematch opportunity!
> Believe me, if you come up to me with an ad for a thousand dollar
> lower price on a Hitachi plasma, I cannot wait to make you and I both
> smile.
>
> I have no intention of trying to get you to pay more for that
> television. I will try to sell you our protection plan and I will try
> to sell you some good cables and I'll try to get you to spread the
> word about how easy this transaction was but I'll DEFINITELY not try
> to get you out of our price match opportunity.
>
> Now some inside tips.....
>
> First off, outside of price matching I've got 10% to work with (on
> sales over a grand). Not a dime more and that INCLUDES on-sale
> prices. That's ME. Other salespeople on our staff do not. Nobody
> has more than 10% so don't waste your time. So you understand what
> I'm saying, if an item's already 5% off (on sale), the most I can do
> is another 5% off, PERIOD. I cannot compound anything either. In
> other words, if you have a $50 off coupon, I cannot get away with 10%
> off PLUS that $50 coupon.... I'd get fired.
>
> Remember, this is a totally different situation than a legitimate
> price match. Price matching can go on all day long as long as we can
> show a copy of an ad from any local retailer or any national big box.
> Even if it's half price from what we're selling it for. The policy
> is, their price PLUS 10% of the difference, as long as we can show our
> boss in writing.
>
> One time recently, Circuit City had the 46" Samsung DLP on their web
> site for a thousand dollars less than our retail price and I price
> matched it, printed out the page. The boss had checked on my price
> match since it was so huge and it turns out it was a mistake that CC
> had corrected by the time my boss looked at their web site. I got
> called into his office and he was PISSED off, about to fire me. I
> showed him the printed page and we both realized it was just a mistake
> that had quickly been corrected on CC's web site and that was the end
> of the 3rd degree and grilling. The bottom line is, the customer got
> a STEAL.
>
> So anyway, how do you know if you are talking to somebody who has the
> ability to "cut a bit of a deal" (within that 10%)? First off, you
> need to find somebody who's being paid on commission. Not all of us
> are paid commission, it depends upon the Sears store. How do you know
> you are at a store that pays commission? Look at the size of the
> store. Only the A & B stores pay commission. A & B stores are the
> huge ones found generally in the larger metro areas. If there is a
> huge display of TV's, you're in an A or B store.
>
> Now how do you find a salesman who can wheel and deal? This is where
> it gets tricky. In my particular store, if you are a marginal
> salesman or if you cut too many "unauthorized" deals, you can't be
> cutting deals. People who can't sell and people who can't sell
> without cutting deals never last more than about 8 months, so if it
> were me, I'd be asking the salesperson how long they've worked there.
> If the answer is a year or more, the chances are good you are talking
> to somebody who is trusted not to give away the proverbial "farm" and
> who is assumed by management to be doing business in Sears' overall
> best interest.
>
> For example, let me give you some personal examples based upon my own
> in-store experiences. We've got about 10 salespeople in my
> department. Of those 10, about 5 of them are new and about 5 of us
> have been there over a year. Of the 5 of us that have been there over
> a year, nobody says anything if we cut an occasional 5 or 10% deal or
> do zero percent financing when it's not being advertized. The reason
> why is because we rarely do it - maybe on 1 out of 10 sales and
> management has learned to trust our judgement.
>
> Of the other 5, they can't do it, no matter how much you want them to.
> Some have tried it and were written up for it and told they cannot cut
> deals to get a sale. This is how Sears starts us out, probably to
> hammer home the notion that we are NOT to give their money away under
> any circumstances, when the fact is, we are not TRUSTED to do this
> until we've proven ourselves to be able to do it only when it is
> absolutely a last resort (this is an "unwritten rule").
>
> So, if it were *me*, and I were shopping for a TV, I'd be shopping for
> a salesman first. I'd find an A or B store and I'd be asking the
> salesman how long they've worked there. If less than a year, I'd
> leave for a few minutes and come back until I got the answer I wanted
> - over a year. Then I'd just come right out and say, "look, I already
> know the deal, I know somebody who works for Sears. You give me 10%
> off on this set, we can just walk right up to the cash register right
> now".
>
> Expect to be told it is not possible but stand your ground. The
> reason we say this is because the more of these we do, the more we get
> on the proverbial "radar screen". Even the best of us will get fired
> if we cut a 10% deal on even a quarter of our sales. If the salesman
> stands his or her ground on your 10% deal, it's because he or she has
> had a 'talking to" recently, due to an apparent inability to close
> most deals at full retail. In this instance, you have 2 options if
> you want to buy from Sears. Option 1, find another salesman on
> another day or in another A or B store. Option 2, settle for 5%, or
> something that won't put the guy or gal on the radar screen.
>
> I hope this helps :)
>
 
G

Guest

Guest
Archived from groups: alt.tv.tech.hdtv (More info?)

On Tue, 26 Oct 2004 06:21:43 -0400, "Leonard Caillouet" <no@no.com>
wrote:

>Some products that Sears bought from major
>manufacturers are not supported by those manufacturers at all, in any way.
>You can not even get cross reference information from the manufacturer for
>those models, even though there are models that are identical. Many Zenith
>sourced TV/VCR units come to mind. Zenith will send you to Sears and sears
>will have their own "support".

Very interesting... I stand corrected. Thanx, Leonard :)
 
G

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Archived from groups: alt.tv.tech.hdtv (More info?)

"oscargrouch" <leeYOURjackVIRGINITYmo@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:2u5r6gF16ek44U4@uni-berlin.de...
> more the latter...certainly you have always have a chance on stuff like
tvs
> to go to the store and give them the chance to match a price you could get
> elsewhere...as far as demanding that they must do it because of their
policy
> is another story...i actually got my hdtv from hh gregg showing them the
> circuit city website in their store

Absolutely. "...demanding that they must do it..." is not generally a good
way to negotiate anything. Makes the other person set his feet and
determine never to give an inch. Better to be extremely polite and
deferential while quietly holding your ground. With something like a TV,
you can simply take in your notebook and pencil and gather information --
all the benefits of buying and the bottom line price at each dealer -- then
show the quotes to get your better price. Bottom line, you may end up
paying a little more because other benefits make a higher price worth it to
you. Or not. But, in my experience, these TV dealers will definitely
negotiate.

mack
austin
 
G

Guest

Guest
Archived from groups: alt.tv.tech.hdtv (More info?)

Thanks for posting all this "inside baseball" advice.

Based on my experience, though, Sears price match policies must vary from
store to store, manager to manager. At the Sears store where I bought my
new model Sony KDF-60XS955, they came down several hundred dollars on a
price match of a local appliance store, which had already knocked the price
down several hundred dollars off MSRP, without even having an ad or a
written price offer. The salesman asked me for something in writing but I
didn't have it. I just had my word on what I had been quoted. He asked his
boss and got immediate approval for the price match plus 10% of the
difference.

Later, they lowered the price another $400 when the TV was going to be 5
days late on delivery. Ended up about $1200 under MSRP.

My advice would be, if you get a good price quote, get it in writing so you
have something to take to Sears. If not, if all you have is your word for
it, try it -- it worked for me. If not that, then just negotiate.
Obviously, at some Sears stores -- well, at least one -- there is a huge
leeway.

mack
austin


"HDTV-slingr" <NOSPAMMERS@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:8plrn0hkjgjdls22c7a8ncap0cbmuptj7f@4ax.com...
> On Mon, 25 Oct 2004 21:41:10 GMT, "Verizon User" <anonymous@anon.com>
> wrote:
>
> (Warning, LONG - from a current Sears TV & Audio salesman):
>
> >Has anyone successfully used the Sears Price Match policy for a plasma TV
> >(or other high-priced item?)
>
> In addition to what the other posters have said in response, I can
> give you a few tips & tricks to get your best price on high end
> electronics from Sears.
>
> Technically, we do only pricematch our local competitors and the major
> big-box retailers but there *can be* a bit of leeway here too... see
> below. First off, we salespeople are more than happy to pricematch if
> it's legit. The sooner we ring you up and get back out on the floor,
> the better for us, so by all means, bring us a pricematch opportunity!
> Believe me, if you come up to me with an ad for a thousand dollar
> lower price on a Hitachi plasma, I cannot wait to make you and I both
> smile.
>
> I have no intention of trying to get you to pay more for that
> television. I will try to sell you our protection plan and I will try
> to sell you some good cables and I'll try to get you to spread the
> word about how easy this transaction was but I'll DEFINITELY not try
> to get you out of our price match opportunity.
>
> Now some inside tips.....
>
> First off, outside of price matching I've got 10% to work with (on
> sales over a grand). Not a dime more and that INCLUDES on-sale
> prices. That's ME. Other salespeople on our staff do not. Nobody
> has more than 10% so don't waste your time. So you understand what
> I'm saying, if an item's already 5% off (on sale), the most I can do
> is another 5% off, PERIOD. I cannot compound anything either. In
> other words, if you have a $50 off coupon, I cannot get away with 10%
> off PLUS that $50 coupon.... I'd get fired.
>
> Remember, this is a totally different situation than a legitimate
> price match. Price matching can go on all day long as long as we can
> show a copy of an ad from any local retailer or any national big box.
> Even if it's half price from what we're selling it for. The policy
> is, their price PLUS 10% of the difference, as long as we can show our
> boss in writing.
>
> One time recently, Circuit City had the 46" Samsung DLP on their web
> site for a thousand dollars less than our retail price and I price
> matched it, printed out the page. The boss had checked on my price
> match since it was so huge and it turns out it was a mistake that CC
> had corrected by the time my boss looked at their web site. I got
> called into his office and he was PISSED off, about to fire me. I
> showed him the printed page and we both realized it was just a mistake
> that had quickly been corrected on CC's web site and that was the end
> of the 3rd degree and grilling. The bottom line is, the customer got
> a STEAL.
>
> So anyway, how do you know if you are talking to somebody who has the
> ability to "cut a bit of a deal" (within that 10%)? First off, you
> need to find somebody who's being paid on commission. Not all of us
> are paid commission, it depends upon the Sears store. How do you know
> you are at a store that pays commission? Look at the size of the
> store. Only the A & B stores pay commission. A & B stores are the
> huge ones found generally in the larger metro areas. If there is a
> huge display of TV's, you're in an A or B store.
>
> Now how do you find a salesman who can wheel and deal? This is where
> it gets tricky. In my particular store, if you are a marginal
> salesman or if you cut too many "unauthorized" deals, you can't be
> cutting deals. People who can't sell and people who can't sell
> without cutting deals never last more than about 8 months, so if it
> were me, I'd be asking the salesperson how long they've worked there.
> If the answer is a year or more, the chances are good you are talking
> to somebody who is trusted not to give away the proverbial "farm" and
> who is assumed by management to be doing business in Sears' overall
> best interest.
>
> For example, let me give you some personal examples based upon my own
> in-store experiences. We've got about 10 salespeople in my
> department. Of those 10, about 5 of them are new and about 5 of us
> have been there over a year. Of the 5 of us that have been there over
> a year, nobody says anything if we cut an occasional 5 or 10% deal or
> do zero percent financing when it's not being advertized. The reason
> why is because we rarely do it - maybe on 1 out of 10 sales and
> management has learned to trust our judgement.
>
> Of the other 5, they can't do it, no matter how much you want them to.
> Some have tried it and were written up for it and told they cannot cut
> deals to get a sale. This is how Sears starts us out, probably to
> hammer home the notion that we are NOT to give their money away under
> any circumstances, when the fact is, we are not TRUSTED to do this
> until we've proven ourselves to be able to do it only when it is
> absolutely a last resort (this is an "unwritten rule").
>
> So, if it were *me*, and I were shopping for a TV, I'd be shopping for
> a salesman first. I'd find an A or B store and I'd be asking the
> salesman how long they've worked there. If less than a year, I'd
> leave for a few minutes and come back until I got the answer I wanted
> - over a year. Then I'd just come right out and say, "look, I already
> know the deal, I know somebody who works for Sears. You give me 10%
> off on this set, we can just walk right up to the cash register right
> now".
>
> Expect to be told it is not possible but stand your ground. The
> reason we say this is because the more of these we do, the more we get
> on the proverbial "radar screen". Even the best of us will get fired
> if we cut a 10% deal on even a quarter of our sales. If the salesman
> stands his or her ground on your 10% deal, it's because he or she has
> had a 'talking to" recently, due to an apparent inability to close
> most deals at full retail. In this instance, you have 2 options if
> you want to buy from Sears. Option 1, find another salesman on
> another day or in another A or B store. Option 2, settle for 5%, or
> something that won't put the guy or gal on the radar screen.
>
> I hope this helps :)
>